Automatically-operated electric signals for railways.



W. J. COOK.

AUTOMATICALLY OPERATED ELECTRIC SIGNALS FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 18, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEETI.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

f/M ee/5W.

COLUMBIA I'LANOORAPIA C0..

W. J. COOK.

AUTOMATICALLY OPERATED ELECTRIC SIGNALS FOR RAILWAYS. APPLICATION IILBD JULY 18, 1910.

'1 ,071 ,884, Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANQORANI (CO-.WASHINOTDN. D. c.

W. J. COOK.

AUTOMATICALLY OPERATED ELECTRIC SIGNALS FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 18, 1910.

1 71 4 Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

witnesses 6%/% WWW. 4

NET Si'iiitg ATENT FFIYQE.

WILLIAM J. COOK, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR TO THE COOK RAILWAY SIGNAL- ING COMPANY, 01? DENVER, COLORADO, A CORPORATION OF COLORADO.

AUTOIVIATICALLY-OPERATED ELECTRIC SIGNALS FOR RAILWAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

Application filed July 18, 1910. Serial No. 572,566.

of olorado, have invented. certain new and use't'ul improvements in Automatieally-Operated jl lleetrie Signals for Railways; and

I. do declare the -following to be a full, clear,

and exact tescription of the invention, such 1 as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to l'nake and use the same. reference being bad to the accompany- .ing drawings, and to the letters and ligures o'lt' reterence marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

ht v invention relates to improvements in automatically operated electric signals :t'or railways and consists in electrical mechanism for operating senlaphores.

One object of the invention is to provide means for automatically locking the somaphore in its raised or safe position, and for automatically unlocking the same when the semaphore is to be lowered to the danger position.

Other objects will appear hereinafter as I proceed with the description of that emboclin'ient of the invention, which, for the purposes of the present application is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a sectionalv view taken through the upright casing inclosing the operating mechanism, the semaphore arm being shown in the safe position and the circuit closed througl'i a green or safe light. F 2 is a sectional View taken through the casing inclosing the operating mechanism, the somaphore arm being shown in the danger position, and the circuit closed through the red or danger light. Fig. 3 is a view taken on the line 3-3 Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow indicating the clutch member and mechanism for operating the semaphore arm, the clutch member being shown out of en ig'ement with the semaphore arm. Fig. t is a similar View taken on the line 3-3 Fig. 1 and indicating the clutch member in operative relation with. the semaphore arm.

Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate the casing inc-losing the operating mechanism and arranged in a suitable position adjacent to a railway track.

The signaling mechanism consists ot a semaphore arm 2&2, carried by a journal pin :33, upon the opposite extremity (it which, within the casing, is located a segmental gear 34-. This semaphore arm 32 is raised to the safe position by the closing ot. the circuit through the motor 35, whose armature shaft 36 carries a worm gear 37, meshing with a worm wheel 2-38, mounted upon a shaft 39, journaled at one extremity in the casing 5, and at its opposite extremity in a U-shaped member 40, secured to the casing as shown at 4-1. Upon this shaft 3!) is splined a clutch member 4-2, having a circmnl'erential groove =13. This clutch member is actuated by the closing oil the circuit through a magnet -14, having an armature 4-5, pivoted at it ()no extremity 0t this armature is pivotally connected with a lever 47 by means of a link connection 48, and the opposite extremity oil. the armature is provided with a weight =14), which normally holds the same out of engagement with the magnet. The lever 47 is pivoted at one extremity to the U-shaped member 4-0, as shown at. :30, and engages the groove 43 of the clutch member 4-2 intermediate the extremities ot' the said lever. Also loosely mounted upon the shaft St) is a sleeve 51, secured against longitudinal movement of the shaft by means of a flange 52 and a collar 53. integrally :tiormed with this sleeve is a gear wheel 54- meshing with the segmental gear 534.

Secured to the segmental gear 34: is a locking member 55 having a cam face 56. This locking member 55 is adapted to be engaged by a pivotally mounted pawl 57, having a weighted extremity 58, adapted to normally engage the stop 59. This locking member and pawl are adapted to hold the semaphore arm 2-32 in the raised or safe position. A, cord is connected atone extremity with the pawl 57 and at its opposite extremity with a weighted armature (31, ot' a magnet- (52. The armature bar (31 is pivotally mounted as shown at (til, whereby when the magnet 2 is detinergized the armatore ll drops t'rom engagen'lent from the magnet (32, and releases the pawl 57 from the locking member 55 by means of the cord 60 connected therewith, and allows the semaphore arm to drop to the lIOI'lZOIlt'tll or danger position. Also mounted upon the segmental. gear 3t are two members (3 land 65, for making and breaking the circuit through the motor 35, which will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the lower part of each casing 5 are two contact bars 66 and 67 pivoted as shown at 68, and having weighted extremities 69. These two contact bars 66 and 67 are connected with an armature bar 70 of a magnet by means of an insulating strip 81. These contact bars are arranged to alternately close and break the circuit through the safe or danger signaling device.

Located within the casing 5 of the signaling mechanism is another magnet 82 having an armature bar 83 pivoted as shown at 8%, and provided with a hooked extremity 85. When the magnet 82 is deenergized the armature bar 83 rests upon the stop 86, thus holding its hooked extremity in proximity with the armature bar 70 and magnet 80, whereby when the magnet .80 is de'elnergized a weighted extremity 87 off the armature bar 70 causes the bar 70 to slide under the hooked extremity of the armature bar 83. lVhen the armature bar 83 is in engagement with the armature bar 70 of the magnet 80, the armature bar 70 will be held out of engagement with the magnet 80 when the same is energized, until after the magnet 82 has been energized and its armature bar 83-has released the armature bar 70.

Having described-the mechanism inclosed in the casings 5, I will now proceed to show how this mechanism is actuated by means of energizing the various magnets described.

In connection with one terminal of the magnet 80 is a wire 88, while from the opposite terminal of this magnet wires 89 and 90 lead to a line wire 91. A second magnet 82 has connected with one terminal the wire 92 and with the other terminal the wires 93 and 90 leading to the line wire 91. The mechanism of the semaphore is to be operated by the connect-ion or disconnection of the wires 88 and 92 and the feed wire 73. The means of connection and disconnection may be a track contact adapted to be automatically operated by a passing train or it may be manually operable means. Since such means form no part of the present invention, I have not illustrated them herein. Normally the magnet 80 is to be energized and the magnet 82 denergized. Now when it is desired to set the semaphore to danger, the connection between the wire 88 and feed wire 78 is caused to be momentarily broken, thereby deenergizing the magnet 80 whereupon its armature 70 and the contact bars 66 and 67 will fall away from the magnet and the contacts 94 and 95 due to the action of gravity on the weights 87 and 69. During this movement the upper end of the armature 70 will ride upon the curved forward surface of the armature 83 until the hook extremity of the latter drops into the position illustrated in Fig. 2, locking the bars 66, 67 and 70 in the position shown in that figure. While the mechanism is in this position a current passes from the main feed wire 73 into wires 96 and 97 and wire 101 to the danger light signal or red light designated R, thence through a wire 102 to a contact 103 through contact bar 67 and wire to the return wire 91 thus completing a circuit and displaying a danger signal or red light. Now since the movement of the contact bar 67 into engagement with the contact 103 the circuit has been broken through the magnet 62, and its armature bar allowed to drop. This movement of the armature bar 61 tilts the pawl 57 out of engagement with vthe locking device 55 by means of the cord 60,

connected at one extremity with the armature bar 61 and at the other extremity with the pawl 57, whereby the semaphore arm 32 falls to its horizontal position under the influence of its weight. On the downward movement of the semaphore arm 32 the member 65 comes into contact with the pawl 105 and tilts the same into engagement with the contact 106, thus bringing the same into position for the circuit to be closed when the contact bar 66 has been shifted into engagement with the contact 94: by the energizing of the magnet 80.

A wire 113 having a spiral spring portion 114, is connected at one extremity with the armature bar 61, of the magnet 62 and at its opposite extremity with the segmental gear 34 whereby when the semaphore arm is in the lowered or horizontal position, the wire 113 acts to bring the armature bar 61 into such proximity with the magnet 62, that the same will be brought into engagement with the magnet, when the circuit is closed through the said magnet. Now, when it is desired to have the semaphore take the safe position, connection is made momentarily between the wire 92 and the line wire 73 thereby energizing the magnet 82 and withdrawing the hook-shaped extremity of the armature 83 from its locking position upon the armature bar 70, whereupon'the latter bar is attracted to the magnet 80 and electrical connections are made between the bars 66 and 67 and the contacts 94 and respectively. After this has taken place the current may be said to pass from the main teed wire 73 through a wire 96, wire 97 and wire 98 and the safe or green light designated G, thence through the wire 7 to contact 95, through contact bar 67 and wire 90, and the return feed wire 91, thus completing the circuit through the green or safe light 7 and indicating a clear track. A current also passes from the main feed wire 73 through the wire 96 and wlre 99 to one terminal of the magnet 62. From the opposite terminal of the magnet (i2 the current passes through the wire 11.00 and the wire 75 to the contact 95, thence tl'irough the contact member (57 and wire 90 to the return feed wire 91, thus completing a circuit and energizing themag' net (52, whereby its armature bar 61 is held into engagement therewith and the cord (30 loosened so that the pawl 57 will he tilted into locking engagement with the locking device 55 for holding the semaphore arm in the raised or safe position, indicating a clear track.

Leading from the wire 97 is a wire 104i connected with a pivotally mounted pawl 105. hen the semaphore arm 32 is lowered to the danger position as illustrated in Fig. 2, the member 65 engages the contact 105 and moves the latter into engagement with a contact 106. From the contact 106 a wire it)? leads to one pole of the motor 35 from the opposite pole of which a wire 10S leads to a contact 94, thence through the contact bars (36 and wire 109 and wire 90 to the return teed wire 91, thus completing a circuit through the motor. \Vires 110 and 112, respectively, lead from the wires 10? and 108 to opposite terminals of the magnet +14, thus completing a circuit through the magnet t-it, whereby when the circuit is closed the magnet 4st is energized and its armature bar drawn lnto engagement therewith. This movement of the armature bar 4-5 actuates a lever 4:7 to cause the clutch member 42 to interlock with the sleeve 51. \V hen the circuit has been closed through the motor by the shifting of the contact bar 66 into engagement with the contact 9%, the motor will be actuated to cause the worm gear 37 and its shaft 36 to revolve, and worm wheel 38, which in turn revolves the shaft 39, thereby actuating the segmental gear at through the medium of the gear 54, causing the semaphore arm 32 to be raised to the sate position. hen the segmental gear 3% is revolved to move the semaphore arm 32 upwardly, the member (34- comes into engagement with the pawl 105 and shifts the same from engagement with contact 106, thus breaking the circuit through the motor and magnet H: whereby the armature bar 45 of the magnet H is tilted from engagement with the magnet by n'ieans of its weighted extremity 4-5), to actuate the lever -17 for shifting the clutch member out of engagement with the sleeve 5'1. At the same time that the segmental gear 34 is revolved to raise the semaphore arm 32, the cam face 56 ot the locking device 5:") rides over the pawl 57 and the weighted extremity 58 of the pawl 57 causes the pawl to be tilted into locking engagement with the rear of the locking member 55, thus holding the semaphore arm 32 in the raised position.

llaving thus described my improved construction, what I claim is:

in combination with a semaphore, mechanism For operating the same including a disk arranged to rock with the semaphore, a projection upon the dish, a pivoted latch having one extremity adapted to engage said projection and being weighted upon the opposite side ot the pivot to hold the latch in engagement with the projtaation, an electromagnct, an armature for said electro-magnet and a flexible conneraion between said arn'iature and latch, the parts being so ar ranged that when the elcctro-nmgnet is decncrgiZ-ml the latch will be witlnlrznvn from engagement with the projection.

ln testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\VILTJAM J. COOK.

lVitnesses F. E. BownN, Ilon'rnxse Uincnrcn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

